Ethan and Abby's Pastured Pork: Pig Elevated.</font size>

Scroll below text to view Abby & Ethan's pastured/grass fed pork offerings!

That's Ethan and Abby (and their dear daughter) in the photos above. Abby is Glenn and Caryl's daughter. She married Ethan. Now, I know those shorts that he's got on aren't really very Western, but they actually tell a story all their own, and are a sort of tribute to their high level of expertise in the realm of pastured pork You see, Ethan and Abby have worked for and with porcine pastoralists the world over, from Ethan's experience with Joel Salatin of Polyface farms in Virginia to their living on Box Gum Grazing in New South Wales, Australia (those Aussies like shorts, mate). He's not only journeyman, but expert in creating not only sustainably raised grass fed pork, but authentic artisanal flavor in an otherwise industrialized pork world where concrete floor and closed roof corn and soy fed hogs are defined by the absolute absence of flavor. It's why there's entire supermarket aisles devoted to sauces and rubs that bring flavor to pork.

It's also why conventional pork is cheap; hogs have become the garbage disposal for commercial agriculture. We could tell many stories of the poor life of pig, but this is not the place.

Enter hope: a better way that perhaps leads to pig perfected. Far back, in the ancient lineages of hog, there lies a genetic that forages a la wild pig. It is these heritage genetics that Ethan and Abby searched for before settling on a foraging cross (partly comprised of Red Wattle and Berkshire breeds) that they believed would thrive on the wild Certified Organic pastures of high altitude Alderspring. And thrive they did.

Ethan sourced local barley, hard red wheat and sugar snap peas that he hand milled to supplement the omnivore's desires of a diverse diet (both barley and wheat are not treated with glyphosate!). Then, they added a carefully cultured sourdough starter that finds its roots in the Klondike of Gold Rush Alaska. This fragrant blend then fermented over 24 hours and led to a sort of porcine paradise. Meanwhile, the pigs grazed and rooted across Alderspring, moving to new pastures each week under Ethan and Abby's careful training and management. It eliminated any need for chemical wormers, making for pristine Berkshire pork (they did feed them locally harvested garlic and diatomaceous earth to be proactive about parasite control). Ethan and Abby's hogs live clean lives, not ever encased in muck or their own waste as commercial hogs can be. These porkers eat what they want and when in a cornucopia of pasture plant choice. The result: pastured pork that found flavor. We think it's the most flavorful and tender we've tried. A sort of managed, yet wild pork. Hog heaven? We think so.

Looking for something but it's out of stock? We've moved most of our inventory over to our new and improved storefront here! 

Here's Ethan and Abby's own Pastured Pork Protocol:

Fresh Free Choice Pasture.Abby and Ethan's pigs are raised on Alderspring Ranch's certified organic pasture from weanling stage to finish, to create grass fed pork. After training (pigs are very intelligent and teachable), they are moved to a new electric-fenced paddock every week so they can graze, root and explore new territory to their hearts' content.

Corn and Soy free feed.Abby and Ethan's pigs are fed a supplemental diet of local barley, red wheat (most grown in our own Pahsimeroi Valley) and untreated sugar snap peas that we source, grind and mix ourselves. None of the feedstuffs were sprayed with glyphosate as a dry down agent.

Small Family Processor. Our pigs are humanely (we wouldn't have it any other way) slaughtered and processed at the same family abattoir that processes our beef, one at a time. They are hog handling and curing experts, first with a fresh pastured pork line and then adding smoke and cure in organic processes to things like pastured pork hams, bacon and sausage.

Heritage Pork. We source heritage cross piglets for their flavor, resilience and desire to graze, to create Red Wattle and Berkshire pork.

Leave No Trace Portability. Our entire pig operation is completely portable, which means when we finish pigs in the fall, there is no trace except for slightly rough pig-tilled ground and increased soil fertility.

Humanely Raised. Pigs are very social animals, but living in cramped conditions can make them quarrelsome. Because our pigs are raised outside on green grass, they have plenty of room and lots of other things (like digging for tasty quackgrass roots) to keep them busy. Their favorite thing is to be moved to fresh ground, where they can explore and seek out the tastiest bits of greenery. They also can appreciate a good belly scratch.

Completely Traceable. You can rest assured that your pastured pork was raised here, on our ranch, in the heart of Idaho, by Ethan and Abby Kelly. Each package of fresh pastured/grass fed pork is traceable to a single animal as with our beef. The cured pork items, like hams and bacon, are done in 8 head batches, still traceable to the where and how.